Railway infrastructure growth in southern districts of Tamil Nadu is set to suffer a setback as the Union Budget has poorly allotted funds for the ongoing doubling works in the state. Even 10 per cent of estimated funds have not been allotted for the doubling of Madurai-Thoothukudi, Vanchi Maniyachi-Tirunelveli- Nagercoil and Kanniyakumari-Thiruvananthpauram lines.According to the railway pink book submitted before Parliament on Tuesday, for 160-km-long Madurai-Vanchimaniyachi-Thoothukudi line, the railways has sanctioned Rs 75 crore, while the project cost is estimated at 1182.23 crore.Similarly, another doubling project of the 102-km Vanchi Maniyachi-Tirunelveli-Nagercoil...more...

section which was estimated to cost Rs 1003.94 crore has been sanctioned just Rs 75 crore.The Kanniyakumari-Nagercoil-Thiruvananthapuram line estimated to cost Rs 1431.90 crore has received Rs 110 crore, out of which Rs 100 crores was proposed to be sourced from extra budgetary resources.While Tamil Nadu witnesses highest inter-state migration for education, health and employment, transportation demand has been increasing every year.People of the southern districts hoped that speedy completion of the doubling project would connect the region with other parts of Tamil Nadu and the country. It would also accelerate the social and economic development of Madurai, Virudhunagar, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli and Kanniyakumari districts.P Edward Jeni, general secretary, Kanniyakumari District Railway Users Association, said that even if Rs 250 crore to Rs 300 crore was allotted for each project a year, it would take another three to four years to get completed. “With hardly Rs 75 crore a year, it’s nearly impossible to finish the project in 10 years,” he said.According to the budget allocation, the state has received Rs 2,548 crore this year as against Rs 2,287 crore allotted last year.Though the state has received Rs 261 crore more compared to the previous year, the funds remain insufficient to complete the rail projects in the state.Gauge conversionThe Union Budget has also allotted Rs 80 crore for one of the much delayed Madurai-Bodinayakkanur gauge conversion works. The section track was dismantled in 2010 and Theni district has since lost its train connectivity.Central districtsCentral districts of Tamil Nadu have received Rs 239.46 crore for ongoing gauge conversions and new lines. While 64.46 crore has been allotted under capital expenditure by the railways, Rs 175 crore is to be sourced through extra budgetary resources.The gauge conversion work between Tiruvarur and Pattukottai has just been finished, as part of the 149-km gauge conversion of Tiruvarur-Thiruthuraipoondi-Pattukottai-Aranthangi-Karaikudi section. Similarly, the gauge conversion works are being carried out in full swing in Thirutturaipoondi-Agasthiampalli section. In addition to this, funds are to be used for laying a new track between Mannarkudi-Pattukottai (34 km) and Thanjavur-Pattukottai (47 km). Laying of these new tracks has been pending for nearly 20 years.New linesProjects delayed for more than 10 years have also not received funding. The 91.5-km-long Erode-Dharapuram-Palani line was allotted Rs 10 lakh this year too. It was approved in 2005.The other two projects in northern districts – Tindivanam-Gingee-Tiruvannamalai and Tindivanam-Nagari (179.2 km) – have been allotted Rs 10 crore each. These projects were also inaugurated in 2007-2008. For laying a new line in the Chennai-Cuddalore section via Mahabalipuram (179.28 km), the railways has allotted Rs 100.10 crore. The Madurai-Tuticorin via Aruppukkottai (143.5 km) project has been allotted Rs 20 lakh, while the 36-km long Morappur-Dhamapuri line has received Rs 36 crore.ChennaiFor laying 60-km line connecting Sriperumbudur with Avadi via Guduvanchery and Irunkattukottai, estimated to cost Rs 839 crore, has got Rs 20 lakh.Slow trackThere has been scant progress in railway gauge conversion, which began in 2004, between Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu, and Kollam, Kerala. Work between Virudhunagar and Rajapalayam, in Tamil Nadu, ended in 2007 and was extended to Shencottah in Tamil Nadu a year later. Conversion between Kollam and Shencottah was finished in part in the Kollam-Punalur stretch, in Kerala, in 2010. However, in mid-2010, train services between Shencottah and Punalur were suspended. After the issue was raised repeatedly, work was completed on the Shencottah-Edamon-Punalur section.After the Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety, Southern Railway, inspected the broad gauge line between Shencottah and Edamon in January this year, the green signal was given for commencing services between Edamon and Shencottah. However, given the slow pace of work so far, one wonders whether people in the region will have to wait for long for a service between Punalur and Shencottah, despite it being a long-standing demand.Train operated in Coimbatore-Podanur-Pollachi section had poor patronage because of timings. After gauge conversion, section remains underutilisedNow, this one is a clear case of precious funds going down the drain. The railway line between Podanur and Pollachi was converted from metre gauge to broad gauge by spending several crores. The project was implemented after a long wait as it ran into funds constraints, land acquisition litigations and a rocky terrain that made work execution difficult.Now, after completion, it remains underutilised. The only passenger train that was introduced on this section is described as tokenism by the people as it lacks patronage because of the odd timings and was withdrawn from Jan. 14.Train No. 06081/06082 operated in Coimbatore-Podanur-Pollachi section from July 15, 2017. It has had very poor patronage from the start because of the timings. The idle rakes of Train No. 56604/56605 (Shoranur-Coimbatore Fast Passenger) shared for the passenger train to Pollachi has now been withdrawn from Jan. 14 due to the introduction of a special train between Palani and Coimbatore via Pollachi, Kinathikkadavu and Podanur from on that day. The train chugs out of Coimbatore at 1.35 p.m. In the return direction, it leaves Pollachi at 3.05 p.m. and reaches Coimbatore at 4.15 p.m., with an average patronage of only 50 to 60 passengers across 11 coaches every day. As a consequence, the revenue is a measly Rs. 750 to Rs. 900 a trip, as against the operational cost of around Rs. 1.5 lakh.Many regular commuters suggested that the patronage will increase if the train is operated during peak hours.After the persistent demand from the people from different corners, the Salem Railway Division had introduced the Special Train No. 06709/06710 Coimbatore-Palani-Coimbatore from Jan. 14 for three months. Coaches of this train would run as Train No. 56709/56710 Palani-Madurai-Palani.Even though the Salem Division had submitted a proposal to extend the services of Semmozhi Express up to Pollachi, it might not serve any purpose. Rail users say this is because the train would depart Pollachi late in the night and leave Coimbatore for Pollachi very early in the morning.It was also suggested that the Fast Passenger (Train No. 56848) in Palghat town-Tiruchirappalli could be operated via Pollachi instead of Madukkarai (as a train is already being operated via Madukkarai) in the morning to the serve commuters from Pollachi. Similarly, another section that needs more services is the Coimbatore – Mettuppalayam route. Though many train services are operated to Mettupalayamm from Coimbatore, tourists look for late night trains and also on Sundays to reach Udhagamandalam, and the Vanabadrakaliamman temple and a water theme park on the way.Over 54 percent railway tracks in Tamil Nadu yet to be electrifiedWith the Railway Ministry having decided not to announce any new train in its budget, rail passengers in the state are pinning their hopes on an increased fund allocation for speedy completion of ongoing and long-pending rail projects.Despite being sixth most populous state in the country and one of the highly passenger revenue-generating states in the Indian Railways, rail infrastructure in Tamil Nadu lags behind on several counts. Particularly, in terms of electrification of tracks, the state has been ignored for several decades, running with only 46 per cent of electrified tracks on its total track length.According to a report submitted by the Railway Ministry in Parliament, as on April 1, 2017, a total of 4,027-km-long track runs through the state, out of which 1,851-km track has been electrified. The electrification percentages in Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal, which are relatively larger than in Tamil Nadu with respect to population stood at 77.77 and 64.84 respectively, while smaller states like Kerala, Jharkhand and Chattisgarh have got over 75 per cent of tracks electrified.“After fighting for three decades, we got the Madurai – Kanniyakumari line doubling works,” said Kanniyakumari Rail Users Association general secretary P Edward Jeni. He said passengers would get the benefit of track improvements only if station infrastructure was developed to handle more trains.Even though several sections were thrown open for traffic after gauge conversion and new tracks were introduced including Mandamadurai-Virudhunagar, Karur-Namakkal- Dindigul, Pollachi-Palakkad-Podanur and Vellore-Tiruvannamalai-Villupuram, the Railways could not operate more trains. It has been more than six months since the entire stretch of Chenai Egmore-Tiruchy was completely electrified with double lines, the Railway could not ply any additional train in the section.“More funds should be allotted for improving terminals with additional stabling lines and pit lines at Tambaram, Madurai, Tiruchy, Virudhuangar, Tirunelveli, Rameswaram, Nagercoil, Salem and Tondiarpet,” said Naina Masilamani, member of Divisional Rail Users Consultative Committee. With the Railways replacing the old ICF coaches with LHB rakes, the Southern Railway should be allotted more coaches.The ongoing works include doubling of tracks from Chennai to Kannaiyakumari, gauge conversion of Tiruvarur-Pattukottai-Aranthangi-Karaikudi section, electrification of Villupuram – Cuddalore Port – Mayiladuthurai – Thanjavur and Mayiladuthurai – Tiruvarur sections. In addition to this, Madurai-Bodi gauge conversion and new line-laying works between Tindivanm and Nagari via Walajah road have been delayed.The Union budget is also expected to take a final call on the East Coast Railway line proposed to connect Kanniyakumari with Karaikudi via Tiruchendur. When contacted, official sources hoped that funds would be allotted for electrification and doubling works in Tamil Nadu. “We also expect fund allocation for modernising the ICF to manufacture the LHB coaches and replacing the Scherzer span of Pamban bridge,” said an official.Infra boost neededThough several sections were thrown open for traffic after gauge conversion and new tracks were introduced, Railways could not operate more trainsEven six months after the entire stretch of Chenai Egmore-Tiruchy was completely electrified with double lines, the Railway could not ply any additional trainMadurai-Bodi gauge conversion, new line-laying works between Tindivanam and Nagari via Walajah road delayedUnion budget is expected to take a final call on the East Coast Railway line

Apart from giving the green signal for the railway terminus at Naganahalli, which is expected to significantly reduce the burden on the existing City Railway Station, there were other proposals in Union Budget-2018 aimed at giving a fillip to railway commute to and from Mysuru. Among them is the proposal for electrification of the Mysuru-Hassan-Mangaluru line that passes through the verdant Shiradi range of the Western Ghats. If the proposal is implemented, the trains can run at far greater speed than they do now.The ‘Pink Book’ released by the South Western Railway (SWR) indicates that budgetary allocation has been made for upgrading four railway lines in South Karnataka, one of which is the 347km-long Mysuru-Hassan-Mangaluru line. The proposal is to provide...more...

a sum of Rs 315.8 crore for electrification of the line in question that connects coastal Karnataka with Bengaluru. Increase in the frequency of trains has resulted in a spike in passengers along the route.Mysureans also have another reason to cheer – there is also a proposal for electrification of the 61km-long Mysuru-Chamarajanagar line. In addition to these two projects, there are proposals for electrification of the 46-km Kadur-Chikkamagaluru line and doubling of tracs at Arasikere along the Hassan-Tumakuru line and the Birur-Shivamogga line.Given the number of passengers who take the train to shuttle between Mysuru and Chamarajanagar on a daily basis, electrification of the stretch, which will make the journey a lot faster, is expected to have a positive impact on Chamarajanagar’s economy.An official from SWR said that electrification of the Mysuru-Hassan-Mangaluru stretch was likely to be a challenging one. “Currently, all Mangaluru-bound trains move at a snail’s pace on the Sakaleshpur-Gundya stretch. If the stretch is electrified, we can expect some improvement in the speed,” he added.Meanwhile, passengers want the electrification of the stretch to be completed at the earliest. “Although there is a direct train between Bengaluru and Mangaluru, the journey generally takes nine to ten hours,” said Shambu Shetty, a frequent train commuter.

Indore: The reluctant approach of central government in handling railway projects involving great public interest as well as foreign exchequer earning got exposed in the recently presented Union budget, which included railway budget as well.In a disappointing turn, the budget, presented on February 1, had just Rs 100 crore allocated for 339-km-long Indore-Manmad railway project estimated at Rs 10,000 crore. Strangely, the apathy was despite the fact that the project once completed would reduce the distance between Indore and Mumbai by about 150 km and thus, avail the shortest route to dispatch export consignment from Pithampur to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) Mumbai.According...more...

to pink book of the Railway Budget for 2018-19, Rs 100 crore has been sanctioned for the important project, while as per the detailed project report (DPR) the estimated cost is Rs 10,000, with railway contributing Rs 4983.99crore and the Union shipping ministry the rest.Criticising the move, experts said that the fund sanctioned in the budget was quite insufficient to complete the ambitious project early, and if the government continues to fund the project in such small amounts after long intervals, the project might take at least next 10 years to complete, with project cost being doubled up.Importantly, Indore-Manmad Rail Project is the maiden one taken up by recently constituted Indian Port Rail Corporation Limited (IPRCL) by Union ministry of shipping on December 22, 2017. The objective of constitution of the PSU Corporation is to enhance port connectivity and evacuation.The railway board has approved DPR of the project and forwarded it to railway ministry for its formal approval. The project, which had been conceptualised about 100 years ago, was approved in 2016 by then railway minister Suresh Prabhu in the railway budget. Thereafter the project got speed and its final earth survey was completed last year and subsequently the DPR was chalked out.HC intervention sought to increase fundingChief of Indore-Manmad Railway Project Struggle Committee, Manoj Marathe expressed deep disappointment over the paucity of fund in railway ministry. He said that the sanctioned amount was almost nothing against the projects’ estimated cost of whopping Rs 10,000 crore. He said that “My petition on the issue is still pending before Indore Bench of MP High Court and we shall again approach court demanding it to serve notice to railway ministry to increase allocation of funds for the important project.”

so, if IR is giving 100 crores this year, how much is JNPT port giving???amazingly enough, I know and have been multiple times to the revas port they have mentioned, never saw anything that could be called as expansion there, it still looks today as it was constructed close to a century ago :P

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